Pest Control – Spider Control

Even though they are harmless in the UK, spiders are one of the most feared pests in the country, and a serious infestation can be terrifying if you have arachnophobia. Indeed, for people who are scared of spiders, even one spider present in their home can be a nightmare. Since they pose no health risk, there is no problem with just catching them and putting them outside.

Spider Control

As well as having eight legs, spiders have eight eyes as well.Spider control concerns both preventing spiders from entering your home, as well as how to deal with them once they are there. These are all procedures which you can carry out yourself, however if you have a serious or recurring problem with spiders which you would like experts to come and have a look at, please feel free to call in the pest control professionals, who will be happy to help.

Spiders get their sustenance from devouring small insects. This means that they set up their webs where insects tend to be. You will probably know where these places are in your house, in all likelihood close to windows. This is why you will often find spider's webs in window frames. One way to deter spiders therefore, is prevent insects they feed on from entering. This involves keeping windows closed most of the time (especially at night when you have lights on) as well as treating these areas with insecticide. If insects aren't getting in, there's a good chance spiders aren't either.

In that same vain, sealing any cracks or openings where spiders and insects can get in is also a good idea. As well as insecticide, there are spider repellent sprays you can buy as well, which you can spray on walls, around windows and anywhere else you normally find spiders. These sprays are odourless and last for quite a while.
If your problems with spiders still do not go away, and you would like some professional advice on your situations, or would like a pest control expert to come and visit to see what can be done to keep the spiders away, please feel free to call us or contact us via email.

Spider Info

Spider control can be assisted by knowing something about them and how they operate, however if you are squeamish you might like to stop reading now, all the information on the best way to deal with them has already been provided.
One thing that is not widely understood about spiders is that, although there are no dangerous species native to the UK, many do still kill their prey by biting them and giving them a venomous injection.
If steel wire was made as thin as a spider's web, the spider's web would be stronger Female House spiders lay up to two hundred and fifty eggs, which they keep in a silken sack in the middle of their web. The eggs stay in the sack for about a month before the baby spiders come out. Even if you do get the spider therefore, it is a good idea to hoover up the web as well.

False Widow Spiders

The False Widow Spider, so called because of its resemblance with the Black Widow, is the most venomous spider in the UK.

The first reported sighting of the False Widow was in Torquay, 1879.

False Widow Spiders in the UK

The UK has traditionally had too cold of a climate to have venomous pests inhabit it. That said, the False Widow is not exactly a new addition. They first arrived on our shores over 100 years ago, brought from the Canary Islands. For a long time they were almost always found exclusively in the south west, the warmest portion of Britain. However, as our climate has begun to warm, the False Widows have been able to travel and survive further and further north.

It is now estimated that there are about ten million False Widows in the UK, and they have been found as far north as Yorkshire. As the climate continues to warm, their numbers will likely grow.

Recognising a False Widow

As mentioned, the False Widow has its name from the resemblance to the Black Widow, which is not naturally present in the UK. They are quite a lot smaller, but they still have quite a fearsome appearance. It has a bulbous abdomen, with brown colourations of various patterns on the back.

Fight or Flight?

So with the title of most venomous spider in the UK, is it something that you should keep clear of at all costs? Well, it is of course up to you but they're only likely to bite you in self-defence. If you leave it alone, it will probably leave you alone.

However if you don't like spiders you'll probably want to get rid of it. If you're comfortable doing that yourself then an insect repellent should work, or of course the old classics of a rolled up newspaper or the underside of a shoe will do the trick.

Of course if you are not comfortable getting close enough to the spider to do anything with it or suspect there may be more close by, then feel free to call us for a quick call out and one of our pest control operatives will take care of it for you.

If you have an infestation of the spiders, then the best option may be fumigation to make sure they are all eliminated. If that is the case we do recommend that you get in touch for professional assistance as fumigants are toxic and require trained pest control technicians to administer safely.

What to do if You are Bitten

There have been cases documented on various media sites lately such as amputations, severe scarring and pets dying. These types of reactions to false widow spider bites are rare.

Nobody in the UK has died of a spider bite.
If you have an infestation of the spiders, then the best option may be fumigation to make sure they are all eliminated. If that is the case we do recommend that you get in touch for professional assistance as fumigants are toxic and require trained pest control technicians to administer safely.